Duelist of the Roses!
by KlebKatt
Summary: Three girls get sucked into the War Of the Roses...only problem is that one is the Ledgendary Duelist and the other 2 R just along for the ride...Plez R&R! NO FLAMERS!
1. ACT I

KlebKat: ^.. Hey, me here to tell you that I've redone the first and second ACTS for you, so instead of SIX ACTS to tell about Shard, Kat, and me, you get 3 really long ones. Please reread this one (ACTS I & II COMBINED) 'cause it's got some new stuff in it... not a lot, but it make Yami Bakura a WHOLE lot funnier.

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KlebKat: YHEA! MY OWN DUELIST OF THE ROSES STORY!

Shard: She's slightly bumming of mine... without my permission.

Kat: Yhea but Kleb should have a good story too.

Erin: ;00; *boo-hoo* I'm not in it!

Kleb: No, but you do git ta enjoy the commentary with us.

Everyone: Oniga, enjoy!

WARNINGS!: MARY SUE TYPE DEAL! (Kleb: ^..^? *tilts head sideways* Is this a Mary Sue? Kat: *shrugs* I don't know.) OC'S (Kleb: namely us.) "this is when people are speaking in Jap and I'm too lazy to tell you that.", 'thinking in jap... you get the idea I hope.', Shadow Realming, GAY BASHING! (Erin: Or somethin' close to it.) SWEARING! (Shard: Yhea, like we care.) AND --um-- STUFF! (Kat: Oh, that really show's what we know what we're writing about. Kleb: SHUDDUP!!)

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ACT I (because I like going by acts) KASSIE BOYD

She stood in the mirror getting dressed for school. It was quite a change, going from an American public school to transferring to a Japanese high school. Ever since she moved here with her two girl friends during the summer, the whole experience seemed like a dream. Kassie Boyd, like her friends Shardai Johnson and Kat Jolly, had a wish come true.

After weeks of begging Shard's father, all three girls had taken advantage of his business life and hitched a 2nd class ride to Japan for the last week of the American East's school year.

Though none of the three girl's had never thought they could transfer for a year to Japan, they treated the experience like candy and couldn't help but taste, devour, and lust after it all. Plushies became Shard's world while Kat preferred the countless animas that lined almost every store they visiteds' shelf. Kassie, always the soft hearted and quite type, spent most of her time browsing the books, mangas, and the latest J-Pop.

Kassie pulled her long brown hair into a pony-tail at the nape of her neck and she buttoned her pink jacket. A face immediately popped in her head as she thought about her adventure during the week she spent on the 'vacation'.

'The incident', as she came to call it, happened on the second day of the girl's visit. Being American, Kassie had no clue what the majority of the characters said or even meant; so she was just picking out some books that looked cool and where, if the prices where applied in dollars instead of yen, cheap.

A careless glance away and the next thing the sun cat knew she had knocked over some dude with long white hair, warring a blue and white striped shirt, and blue jeans.

Kassie softly mewed out a quick apology, the only one she knew in Japanese, "Gomen!"

He looked up at her, chocolate eyes innocently meeting emerald green -milk chocolate and ocean blue mixed in- with a flinch as he began to rise up. He quickly looked her up and down, noticing she wore a thin, soft white sweater (despite it was summer) and blue cotton mini skirt and with a quick examination of her face, she wore huge silver hoop earrings and a black and silver cross necklace, her hair tied loosely at the nape of her neck; bits of rusted brown falling over her shoulder, telling the boy on the floor that she had absurdly long hair, to the floor long if she did not have it up in the ponytail.

He began talking to her in Japanese which only served to pinken her face as she neglected to help the stranger up.

"I'm-- I'm sorry, but-- but I don't understand." Kassie glanced away from the boy.

"Oh," came the startled voice, "you're not Japanese either?"

Kassie glanced back at the younger boy, mentally kicking herself for not realizing he was a foreigner from his looks as well as the sound of his voice, which sounded British.

"No-no, I'm an American." she stated as she stared down at his feet blushing.

"Well, hi," he offered his hand to her, secretly glad that he didn't have to bow, "my name is Bakura Ryou."

She lifted her head and gently shook his hand, "It's nice," she flushed, "nice to meet you."

"Will you be going to Domino High?"

"Hu? Oh, no! I'm just here with my friends on a little vacation for the week. It's been our dream to come to Japan once in our life time." Kassie finished with a smile.

"Yes, it is quite nice to visit but I really don't care much to live here."

"Yhea, I think I know whachew mean; it's a bit too closed in and cramped."

Bakura turned his head sideways and gave her a clueless look, "Wa-chew?"

"What?"

"Huh?" Now it was Kassie's turn to be confuzzeled.

"You said 'wa-chew', what does that mean?"

After a second or two, Kassie finally clued in, "Oh! I'm sorry! I'm from East Tennessee so I tend to say word's differently and together. I said: I know 'what you' mean."

"I think I understand, I have a friend named Joey Wheeler whose parents are from New York but he was born here in Japan. He knows some English from his parents but with the Brookline accent, it makes him hard to understand sometimes."

Kassie had heard none of it. Her mind registered 'Joey Wheeler' and blocked out the rest. "Kassie? Kassie, is everything all right? What are your staring at?"

"Ohmagosh! You're friend's with the second ranked duelist of Duelist Kingdom?!"

Bakura instantly became depressed as he watched the rusted brown head gaze into la-la land, "Yes."

//Let the bitch stand there and gawk all she wants and let's go home!// Yami Bakura screamed mentally at his Hikari.

/But, I-I just meet her, she's my friend./

//Yhea, and you mention to her that you personally know the Dog and all she wants is to meet him. Next she'll want to meet the pharaoh and his idiots and you'll be left with no friends like you are now.//

/Don't say things like that Yami, I do too have friends!/

// I don't see them here in this pansy shop with you.//

/Yami.../ Bakura's eyes drooped down into a soulless half lidded glaze, /Yami, please, let me make at least this one friend, she won't be here for more than a couple of days, she said so./

The Rabbit 'humpt', obviously not listening to his Angel's request. /We'll never see her again after this Yami./

//That's what i don't like.// Akeifa mumbled genteelly.

/Huh?/ Bakura hadn't realized it, but what he had heard was his yami's private thought about the girl before them.

"Bakura?" the soft voice dug between the mental link and Bakura felt his yami flinch and take over.

/NO! AKEIFA! PLEASE DON'T!/

As Akeifa entered the conscious world, he noticed something warm on his left shoulder.

"Bakura, are you all right?"

With a quick motion, Akeifa knocked Kassie's hand off and stared unfeelingly into her eyes, "I have to go, please don't talk to or touch me ever again." With that, the sprit turned around and left the book store.

"Ba- Bakura?" Kassie couldn't let someone hate her here, not in this place, not in her dream and she chased after him. "BAKURA, WAIT UP!"

******

/Yami... why?/ came the pitiful whisper of the Bunny.

//Because she's too much like you, all innocence and no ass kicking.//

/...yami.../

As the mental discussion continued, Akeifa didn't notice the three people behind him until one shoved him into an ally.

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL'S WITH THIS?!"

"Maybe we should ask you that question, fairy." And the second goon behind Akeifa tugged painfully on his long blond locks.

"ASSHOLES! LET GO OF ME BEFORE I SEND YOU ALL TO THE SHADOW REALM!" Akeifa declared as he used his elbow to gut check the second goon.

"What's wrong pretty boy? Is he not to your taste?" the third goon beat his fist into his left palm, gold knuckles gleamed in the light of the ally.

/They're too big for us, Yami! we can't fight them!/ With out thinking, Akeifa answered his Hikari, "Watch me."

"Oh, I think the fruit cake wants to play 'rough'!" the first goon giggled and his other two buddies chimed in.

/yaaammmiiiiii--/ the Angel pleaded desperately.

"Chill, I'm working on it!" Akeifa growled through his teeth..

"Heh, look boys, we got a crazy fag--"

"LOOK OUT BAKURA!!" came a seriously angry voice from the entrance to the ally and then a shower of rocks came cascading down on the four boys.

"OW!"

"KUSO!"

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT BITCH!"

"RUN BAKURA!!"

******

"Kassie!"

The voice shocked her out of the memory and she looked Shard in the face once the annoying hand stopped waving in her face, "Huh?"

"Dude, are you there today? If not, than we're gonna have one helluva time understanding what the teacher wants us to do in class."

Kassie rolled her eyes and head as she reached for her shoes under her bed, luckily not one of those futon thingies. "Oh, don't worry yerself to death over the whole thing! We gitta full week of nothing but a basic understanding of Japanese an' then an hour before and after school to learn more characters and words, also not to mention the classes on Saturday and Sunday."

Shard covered her face with her hands, "Dear, god, don't remind me."

"But this will be actually cool and stuff and learning a second lang-- _THUNK! _--OWWW!" Kassie rubbed the back of her head as she pulled her shoes out from under the bed.

"Dude, you ok?" Shard asked as she sat on Kassie's bed in front of her best friend and grabbed a pink cat pillow.

"Yhea, I gist broke my cranium... or is that the top of the head?"

"Are you asking me? You're the super genius."

"I'm not a super genius!" Kassie shot back as if it had been an insult.

"Anyone who can do a shit load of formulas on a five page calculus problem and get the right answer the first try is Super Man-- no, Einstein."

"Shard, a rocket scientist and a gerbil can git tha right answer even if it was a ten page calculus problem." Kassie finished with a wave of her index finger.

"It's not my fault that the test was too hard..." Shard whined.

"That was an Algebra I test where you scored a twenty out of a hundred."

"Don't be so mean!" the red dragon pouted further.

"You scored lower than Serena*!"

"DON'T RUB IT IN!!"

"Kassie-chan, Shardy-chan, let's go, I got Kat-chan. I go get Joey-kun too." Yugi Moto said in broken English as he stood out side of the sun cat's bed room with Bakura.

"Ok, Yugi, we'll be right down." Kassie said with a smile and a nod. Bakura translated it and Yugi shook his head and smiled as well and disappeared down the stairs with Bakura.

"Isn't he just sooo cute?" Shard giggled.

"Yhea, if we're not gooshing over him then we're looking at beshouins and yaoi."

Both girls then giggled and ran down the stairs to meet the Bunny and the Hedgehog.

****

"So you meet her in the book store?" Yugi Moto asked his friend Bakura.

"Hai, she bumped into me by accident and then helped me fight off those mean men I told you about."

"It's kind of cool to know some nice Americans instead of Pegasus and Bandit Keith. Too bad my English isn't all that great."

"That's okay, Yugi, you got me to translate for you." Bakura smiled cutely and turned with Yugi to Kassie and Shard who came barreling down the stairs.

"Are you guy's ready?"

"Yhea, I'd git sooo lost in this place; even the 'Labyrinth' was nothing like this." Kassie stated, ready to use her book-of-useless-facts again as Yugi and Bakura gave her a curious look. "Maryville High was known as the 'Labyrinth' because it had so many twist and turns; those poor people from other schools couldn't find their way around and we actually had our own minotar for the heck of it!"

//"she likes to assert the fact that she's smart, doesn't she?"//

/"please, yami, leave her alone."/

//"well, i could pick on the loud mouth or the bimbo..."//

/"YAMI!"//

//"but i'm bored!"//

"Bakura, I think Kassie asked you a question." Yugi chimed in between the mental link.

"Hu? Oh, did you say something Kassie?"

"I asked if you're into Duel Monsters; I figured you where because of Joey and Yugi but I'm not sure."

//"ahhh, now this is what i'm talking about!"//

/'oh, yami...'/ the bunny sighed.

****

"Did you see where that fagot went to?" The second goon asked the others.

"No; once that bitch showed up he took off as fast as he could!" the third goon griped.

"Then why are we still here?" the first goon barked, "Let's find them and finish them off!" He shoved between the others, "You two go after the pansy, I'll get the whore!" And with the plan, the men took off after Bakura and Kassie.

****

//"why... did she... help me?"// Evil Bakura gasped in the mind link, fatigued from running so hard and long.

/"because she wanted too, i guess."/

//"don't give me... that shit! only weaklings put... themselves before others!"//

/"......"/

//"yhea, i thought so."//

/"tenshi."/

Akeifa stopped dead in his tracks, to catch his breath and to saver the feeling of adrenaline gushing through his veins, something which he had not felt in over 5,000 years. //"what the hell... are you talking about?"//

/"tenshi. i once read that 'CASSIE' meant 'GOD'S PROPHET'. it also means 'PURITY' in some other origins... over all means 'ANGEL'*... i think."/

//"get your head out of your ass Light! she's nothing more than a bit..."//

A shrill scream broke the thought as Akeifa took a step forward.

****

"OHGOD!" Kassie had ended up in another ally... that ENDED in what else but a dead end?

"BOSS! I GOT ONE!" the third goon yelled loudly, which Kassie guessed was for the other two if they were somewhere near by.

"...bad,bad,bad,bad,bad,bad,bad,bad,bad,bad..." she whispered to herself, backing against the cement wall.

"Common, babe," the goon sauntered closer to Kassie. He reached in to the back of his pants and pulled out a knife, some type of hunting knife, but that was all she knew, "don't you want a little foreigner in you?" he chuckled to himself at the corny joke, understanding quickly that she probably didn't speak a lick of Japanese since she was blurting out what could only be the same language as the fagot's.

'Damnit! Shit! What the hell do I do now?'

"Kassie?" a perfect genteel voice graced the air, causing the goon to whip around.

"Yaro*!"

"KASSIE, GET DOWN, NOW!" Bakura screamed at her. Instally, Kassie ducked behind a trash can, curling up in a ball with her hands protecting her head and eye's squeezed shut.

"What are you going to do, fairy? I don't like putting my dick in other people's asses."

"You dare trifle with me? YOU FOOL!" Akeifa lifted one hand, a powerful light radiating from his chest.

****

Kassie could not move. If the fear she felt had not been enough to keep her petrified, then she would have noticed Akeifa's wondering gaze a long her ass... more happening in his mind then he would ever let HER have. She just wasn't worth it.

/"YAMI!"/

//"well, what am i supposed to think after 5,000 years?! epically after she's being the bitch she is; offering her ass up in the air to whoever wants it! and must i make note that the mini skirt inches up just so?!"//

/"well, you got a good point, the baby blue thong is a nice touch..."/ Bakura could fell his yami's ear to ear satanic smile, making him shiver. /"GOOD GOD, YAMI, CAN YOU BE ANY MORE PERVERTED AND RUDE?! LEAVE KASSIE ALONE!"/

Akeifa's head unconsciously snapped up, eyes wide with amazement, "Since when do you have a back bone?"

"ba-bakura? is that you? izzit safe?" Kassie asked in a small voice.

"Hu?" came the half interested answer. //"i think i'll let you take over light."//

/"WHAT? NOW? AFTER THAT!?"/ but Kassie replied softly as Evil Bakura forced his Light to replace him.

"I'm sorry, Bakura. I know I should be stronger but I... i git sooo scared of little stuff; you know?"

"Ummm, No, that's ok, Kassie. Really, it is!"

"no, it's not... not like I am Bakura."

"How about we go for some ice-cream? I know this great 'Kay's' down town. My treat?"

As she listened to his proposal, she noticed something odd, "Hey, wherezzzat dude?"

" 'Where-zzzzz-at'? Oh! um..." Bakura reached in his back pocket and pulled out a little, blue cell phone with fluffy white clouds printed on its cover, "I just held this up and he clued in that I had called the police and he ran for it."

Her eyes met his, "Then shouldn't we wait here instead of gallivanting off for food?"

'Uh-Oh! Didn't think of that!' Bakura quickly fallowed up with an excuse, "The police aren't going to find any trace of them, for a small island, Japan is huge and they could have been after me because I mention Joey to you... they probably were people he defeated in 'Battle City' or 'Duelist Kingdom' that knew I was his friend."

"But wouldn't that be all the mor--"

Bakura didn't let here finish the sentence as he grabbed her by the hand and led her down to the closest ice-cream store.

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Kleb: Well, How's that for a Mary Sue?

Kat: I don't think that's qualified as a Mary Sue.

Kleb: Why not?

Shard: No one instally fell in love with you.

Kleb: Then whadda bout the part with Evil Bakura?!

Erin: *re-reads said part* It only mentions an ambiguous point that could mean he's developed a crush on you already or he really cares about Ryou having a real friend or not.

Kat: Kleb, are you trying to write a Mary Sue?

Kleb: NO! but I am using me mostly to further the plot because I don't know what Shard's got planed. If Shard will let me, I want to incorporate her story into mine, since I wanted to have me, Kat, and Shard write our own parts in the story line... obviously that's not happening.

Shard: Well, please review and we'll see what's up later.

Evil Bakura: Mmmm, beef.

Erin: 00 Where'd he come from??!

Kleb: I ain't gotta clue.


	2. ACT II

KlebKat: Hello ya'll, this is ACT 3-KAT JOLLY and ACT 4-JOEY WHEELER AND DUKE DEVLIN. This act is a bit on the weird and hard to fallow side but it's the best i can come up with at the moment. Sorry. Dukes Jap name is used in this act and fic a bit latter on (a. cause it just wouldn't have that desired effect if it had been his English name. ^^;). Also... um... i forgot.

Everyone: *crashes to the floor*

KlebKat: Sorry. OH, NO, WAIT! I REMEMBER! SOLETMEDOTHISBEFOREIFORGETAGAIN!! SOMETHING'S WILL BE LOWER CASE TO HOPEFULLY EMPHASIZE WHISPERING AND MANTLE LINKING!!

I'll think that'll do it, so ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!

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KlebKat: ..^? Hu? Sorry it didn't paste right the first time guys. ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!!

KlebKat: Did everyone enjoy last ACT? *looks to see that 16 people visited it, but no one reviewed or rated it) Well in 2 more ACT's, the actual story will began, right now, you're learning about the characters. Sorry, but you need to know us and who we like for this to work... 'Duelist of the Roses' YGO! game is a first person role-playing game so it's kinda hard to have a main character that isn't a Mary Sue or Gary Stew.

Erin: Plus Kassie has to do actual research on the War of the Rose since it was a real event in history. Joys of Timelines.

Shard: And joys of researching history that you DON'T have to write an essay on.

Kat: I think It'll be safe to say this will be a Mary Sue centered around the universe of YGO! but not really about the YGO! cast and with 50% of Duelist of the Roses included and the other 50% action/adventure/romance/actual history along for the ride.

Shard: but that's what makes the world go round ain't it?

Erin: Oniga, enjoy!

WARNING!! MARY SUE TYPE DEAL! OC'S (Kleb: namely us.) "this is when people are speaking in Jap and I'm too lazy to tell you that.", and 'thinking in jap... you get the idea I hope.'.

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ACT II (because I like ACT's better.) KATHERINE JOLLY

Kat Jolly decided that it would be best to wait out side. She felt odd, being inside a Christian household. 'Kassie and Shard don't care that I'm a Wicken, but still...'

Just then, the door opened and her friends Yugi Moto, Shardy Johnson, Bakura Ryou, and Kassie Boyd came out, saying good bye to Waishi-chan, Kassie and Shardai's host for their stay.

A sudden force hit her head on and was imeedeitly resenting that she didn't have earplugs.

"KAAAAATTTT!!!" Shardai bounced and cheered happily, rocking Kat in her arms back and forth, only staying up due to her sheer will power. "WILL SOME ONE GIT DIS DRAGON OFFA ME!?!"

Kassie pawed over, trying with all her might to pull Shard from her current 'glomping post'. "Shardy, common now, let go of Kat, we gotta git ta school and you'll only git cut up and bloody if she hazta drag ya on tha sidewalk!"

"BUT I LOVE KAT!" Shard snuggled into Kat, making the whole situation not only embarrassing but also even more wrong to the sun cat and company.

****

"I like fantasy and adventure games, but I really like and prefer RPG survival horror games like Resident Evil and Clock Tower... Kingdom Hearts is a fav," Kassie stated, happy that her new friends wanted to know her likes and dislikes.

It had taken a few more moments, but Shardai was finally pealed from Kat by Bakura and Kassie, Yugi tugging on Kat from behind.

"Blag! How can you stand all that blood, Kassie?" Bakura said for Tea.

Kat had to wonder too. Kassie always seemed the concerned friend, but she also spent all her time alone, by herself, only really talking about Stephen King or the Savannah Reid Mysteries. Mostly, she noticed, Kassie seemed-almost happy-when weapons and death were discussed. She figured Kassie must have had one seriously screwed up childhood to find enjoyment in killing things.

"It's not all that bad; I prefer ghouls, killer monsters, and deathy stuff over anything."

Kat thought it odd, but was never really concerned with Kassie's state of mental health, she always figured to each her and his own. Shard on the other hand, that chick didn't have issues, she just had too much sugar and the pixie stix's and pokey they had gotten on the walk to school wasn't helping much.

Shard could be a bit of an airhead at times; some would probably call her a bimbo-a regular Serena-for the way she acted.

Kat thought more on her two friends, evaluating each's characteristics and quirks, not realizing that a blond Dog stood in her way.

Plowing right into the huge blue and yellow person, the black kat stumbled back and moved to the side, hitting her right hip in a black, metal railing.

Gritting her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut, and holding her hip, Kat stepped forward to the golden dork and kicked him squarely in the ankle.

"OW,SHIT,FUCK!" he screamed, lightly hopping on one foot as he held his ankle with both hands.

"TAKE THAT YOU IDIOTIC ASSHOLE!"

"WHAT! WHO DA HELL YOU CALLIN' AN IDIOT?! YER THA ONE WHO WALKED INTA ME, YA--"

Kat promptly slapped him, "HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME THAT WAY!? I HAVE THE RIGHT OF MIND TO CURSE YOU--"

"JOEY, KAT, ENOUGH!" Kassie screamed at them, both quickly breaking the argument to look at the usually placid sun cat.

Kat had hated Joey Wheeler from day one, it always seemed that either Kat bumped into Joey or Joey would slam into Kat and one (if not both) would go flying into some kind of an object... or two... or a few.

The gang had started walking again, this time in silence due to the fact that if anyone even breathed wrong once that would set the tension off, Kat and Joey bickering once more.

Duke Devlin had joined the group by now, and hung in the back with Kassie, Kat, and Shardai. They stayed twenty paces back from Tristan Taylor, Tea Gardner, Yugi, Bakura, and Joey to avoided the wrath of what two nasty cats out of three could do to a poor, innocent, shaggy, and 'lucky' dog.

"...don't let joey piss you off," Duke whispered into Kat's ear, entwining his left had to her right and kissing the top of her head, the incredibly short, black, fuzzy hair rubbing against his face, "joey can just be an ass."

At the sheer mention of the mutt, Kat was about ready to loose it again but Duke quickly finished, "have i shown you him in the puppy-dog out fit yet?" He watched as Kat stopped walking, her eyes lighting up and an evil smirk crossed her face, giving her that cheshire cat look, "are they printable?"

Duke answered slyly, his own mischievous thoughts plaguing his head, "how many, when, and where?"

***

"dohes cats, they'ier scheamin' somethin' yuge," Joey whispered to his petit best friend, "an' i knows i'd don't like it!"

Yugi glanced back at the three cats and dragon, whishing back and forth that they were closer to them to ease Joey's mind.

"that damn otogi's wit 'em too!"

"Just leave them alone, Joey, I'm sure they'll leave you alone."

"...bet they'll ask stupid, jackass kaiba..." the rest of Joey's grouching was muttered and mumbled; nothing coherent and several phrases were braked out with non-understandable force.

'Without Kassie, how on this earth am I going to keep Kat, Otogi, Kaiba, and Joey from killing each other?'

It was true; Kassie was not in the same class as the other seven.

'Heck, she isn't even our grade! Come November, she'll be eighteen while everyone else will be seventeen.' Yugi drooled a moment at the though, 'Wow, I'd bet anything that being a senior is cool! They don't have to worry about the major finals or bullies picking on them...'

//'you think a lot about her just being a senior, don't you abou?'//

Yugi flushed a bit, /'well, hai yami, i think kassie's really something. Seniors work really hard to get where they are in america, they don't have to take compendensey tests just to graduate from middle and get into high school, they have to make the grade.'/ he could fell his darker side smirking, /'i think i've been re-inspired to give school my all.'/

//'good for you, abou, i know you'll make everyone proud.'//

/'thanks yami'/

***

//"i take back the fact that i called her a bitch."// Evil Bakura stated in his mind link, the group listening to Kassie as she told the story of 'Jeepers Creepers', an American horror flick. They were out of school now, sitting outside under a huge weeping willow in the park.

/"you only like her because she likes gore."/

//"is there something wrong with that?"//

/"you're both mentally disturbed."/

"Hey, Bakura?" Shard asked.

"Hai, I mean, Yes?"

"Are you into Duel Monsters, you never answered Kassie's question."

"Um... well, yes, I do have a deck but I play very little."

"Cool!" Kassie blurted loudly, "Then howzabout we have a duel? I haven't played in forever!"

//"accept."// Yami Bakura commanded coolly to his Angel.

/"W-W-W-WA-WA-WHAT!!"/

//"YOU HEARD ME; ACCEPT!!"//

"Don't worry, Bakura, Kassie hasn't really played in any major tournaments so she shouldn't be too hard," Kat stated, blissfully unaware that the shock and confusion on his face was not Kassie's _direct_ fault.

/'i don't want to play right now...'/

//"then i'll play against her."//

/"WHAT!"/ but evil Bakura wasted no time switching places with his Hikari and smiled viciously at the sun cat; his long, sharp locks twisting up into small horns on his head, but seemed other wise normal. "Ok, Kassie, I'll play you, but what if we make a small side bet?"

Kassie smiled, glancing away to pull her deck box from her satchel, her, and the others oblivious to the change, "Sure, like what?"

"Well, what were you planning to do later?"

It became so quite that a pin being dropped would have shattered the air itself as everyone turned to look at Kassie and Akeifa.

"Uh," Kassie blushed, "um, nothing really... other than the Japanese class latter."

/"what are you going to do to her, Yami?"/

Kassie glanced quickly around, now so embarrassed that she did not have the heart to continue with the duel. "Maybe we should do this later," Kassie said in a small voice, "Please excuse me." After politely exchanging some words, Kassie stood up and gently pushed through her group of friends. She walked out from under the tree, pieces of her long, shimmering rusted colored hair catching on the soft leaves to the willows' branches.

"Kassie?" Shard squeaked as she watched her friend leave the room.

"Oh, good going," Kat stated, promptly hitting the back of Akeifa's head.

"What... did I... do wrong?" the spirit asked dumbfounded.

"Ok," Kat continued, "this is how Kassie works: after years of being picked on, she's scared half to death of people, looking like an idiot, and pretty much everything -and that includes little mistakes that anyone could make- embarrasses her. She hates talking in front of people she don't know extremely well and being put on the spot; I think more or less she has Social Anxiety Disorder and a sever case of depression."

"Kassie?" Shard asked again, wishing her friend was still under the tree laughing and joking around.

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Kleb: ^00^ RAOW!! *gets glomped*

Everyone: WE LOVE YOU!! *glomps Kleb some more*

Kleb: \^(|)(|)^! HELP ME!!!


	3. ACT III

KlebKat: ;.; *cries*

Shardy: What's up with Kleb?

Erin: She just hasn't updated this in a long time and no one has reviewed at all... they've looked at it, but haven't reviewed it. Not to mention that both acts one and two where totally screwed up. AFF ate some of Bakura's text for some reason, so what he says doesn't really make any sense.

Kat: But she updated this morning and hopefully people will start to review now that we're gonna start the Duelist of the Roses stuff.

Kleb: .. *Sniffs*

Shard: *reads Kleb's bio page* YEAAAAA!! KLEB-NEKO'S GOT HER 'KATTDRAGON' STORY UP!

Erin: Actually, it's the summery and Kleb wants to know if people want to read it.

Shard: It's original so have fun and please read the summery for 'KATTDRAGON', see if it's something you would like to buy from a book store and leave a review for publisher proposes please ^.^.

Kat: It's got magic, dragons, cats?, evil demon gods..., lemons, oranges in later chapters...

Kleb: .. *sniffle* someone review please...

Erin: Oniga, enjoy!

WARNING! MARY SUE TYPE DEAL! OC'S (Kleb: namely us.) "this is when people are speaking in Jap and I'm too lazy to tell you that.", and 'thinking in jap... you get the idea I hope.', ~and this is someone's consciousness.~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ACT III

A red head pushed her way through the crowd of people that lined every street of the foreign city. She was 17, a junior next year in the States and she was living one of her most favorite dreams.

This dream consisted of Pokey and finding a Blue Eyes White Dragon plushy for her room back home in East Tennessee, and she was determined to find one or so help her God, she would rip Domino, Japan apart.

Well, it was not like she couldn't go home and get one, being that Duel Monsters was, originally, an American card game, such things would be easy to come by… but this was different. This would be a BEWD _plushy_, from _Japan_ of all her favorite places and it would also serve as a wonderful, little souvenir when she got home.

~Aren't you supposed to be looking for someone?~ Shardai Johnson's conscience kicked in, ~Kassie still needs to be found~ it told her.

'Yhea, yhea, well...um...I got busy, so buzz off!'

~Shardy...~ it warned.

'Okay, okay, okay, okaaaaaay! I'll go look for her.' Just then, Shardai slammed into something tall, blue, and cold.

Tumbling to the ground, the tall, blue, cold thing groaned in pain once it reached the ground, Shard landing on top of it.

"Gomen, gomen, gomen, gomen, gomen, gomen, gomen!" Shardai blurted out the only Japanese word she knew for sorry, and the incorrect one at that.

Shard lifted herself up on her elbows and looked at the person she had knocked down. Her breath was taken away and she felt warm and ice cold all at the same time. His cobalt eyes were glaciers and had dark bags of skin under them as if he suffered from lack of sleep. His facial expression seemed to warrant surprise and shock but then quickly faded as he pulled himself out from under Shardai and stood up, dusting himself off and giving the red dragon some unkind words in Japanese.

"I am so, so sorry!" she said in English as the man readjusted his white duster slightly and once the after shocks the cute brunette left in her system had faded.

He stated in English, "Next time, watch where you are going, girl!"

"Hey! I said that I was sorry," Shardai yelled as she stood up, "You don't have to be such a jackass about it!"

The taller man turned away, leaving Shardai to huff and puff over his rudeness, only she wasn't going to let him get a way that easily. "HEY, JACKASS, WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

The brunet paused momentarily, turning only a little bit to glance back at the red head. "Hn, Seto Kaiba."

One word bothered to grace Shardai's mind as Kaiba left her alone in the park, _Shit!_ Then a phrase creped in as she watched his white duster blow up in the slight wind of his walk, which she said in the next instant, "NICE ASS, SETO!"

Kaiba swirled around, ready to pounce on the bimbo for her humiliating remark but stopped. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon master turned to the direction that he was previously leaving in and walked away, smiling evilly as well as tastefully.

_What tha hell?_ Shardai thought. "HEY! YOU CAN'T JUST WALK OFF AND LEA--"

"NICE ASS, SETO!" two, evilly cherry, feline voices purred, their shadow's suggesting that the two were waving at the departing Kaiba, who in turn, walked faster.

The Sun Cat was the first to say anything, enjoying torturing the red dragon in a sing-song voice, "Shardy's gotta boyfriend! Shardy's gotta boyfriend! Shardy's gotta boyfriend! Shardy's gotta boyfriend! Shardy's gotta boyfriend! Shardy's gotta boyfriend! Shardy's gotta--"

Then the Black Cat, "Shardy and Kaiba sittin' in a tree...K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Shardy with a baby carriage!"

"SHUDDUP!" the red dragon growled, "THAT JACKASS DOESN'T DESERVE A WOMAN LIKE ME!"

Both Black and Sun cat stopped their taunting long enough to think about the statement. "You're not a woman yet, Shardy, and, really, it was your fault you slammed into him." Kassie pointed out, her finger stuck up in the air in the I-know-all mode.

Standing up, Shardai gawked at her two best friends, "How the hell long have you been standing there?" she demanded.

"We saw the whole thing--" Kassie purred.

"--Till the finish," Kat filled in and shoved Shardai and Kassie their backpacks. "You left these when you both went running off."

Snatching her bag, the Dragon shoved through the two cats, "I hate you, you kno--"

Blue and white light shot from the heaves, incasing the unsuspecting girls in its aura, taking them to an old place that history decided to forget.

__________________________________________________

KlebKat: Well, there's ACT 3. I think the 'MarySue'ness will die down for a little while… does anyone really like Mary Sue's?

Kat: I'd said it before and I'll say it again, THIS would be a Mary Sue… *AHEM!*:

She was so beautiful that all the men in the world came to see this poor little girl and they all Instantly fell in love with her… because she was so beautiful and kind and could do no wrong.

Erin: Yhea, if this story is classified as a Mary Sue, I like Kleb's a lot better.

Shardy: Well, maybe the 'MarySue'ness won't die down for a little while... who the hell knows?

Everyone: *with no feeling* …yhea…


	4. ACT IV

WARNINGS! MARY SUE! SWEARING! NAME CALLING AND OTHER SUCH KIDDY STUFF! (Shard: because it fits our personality sooo well. Kat: But basically the same as the last three acts; only now we add in Duelist of the Roses through mostly Kleb's pov.)

____________________________________________________

~ACT IV~

__

The British Empire in the 1480s~The War of the Roses

A power struggle between the Houses of Lancaster (red rose) and York (white rose) to decide a royal successor was nearing an end. With the Yorkists well in the lead, the reign of Richard the Third was a step away. And in France, Yugi (Henry Tudor) -the last Lancastrian heir- was being forced to live a life of exile. The Lancastrian forces were rendered powerless by ancient cards of sorcery, wielded by "Seto" and his seven followers who, known as the "Rose Crusaders," served under the flag of Lord Crawford, a powerful Yolkiest nobleman. Lacking a duelist to champion their cause, defeat was imminent for the Lancastrians. In England, duel card games were still at the fledgling stage. Thus, the Lancastrians had to look elsewhere for a duel master capable of facing Rosenkreuz in battle. with this in mind, Margaret Mai Beaufort of Lancaster secretly requested a High Druid to summon a duelist from another age......

"Ooooooooooooooh! Summon from the mystic circle of red and white roses, the one capable of harnessing pure power..."

Blue and white light shot down to earth from the purple and pink heavens into a ring of stone and roses. When the light faded, three girls in strange dress appeared unconscious on the ground. A man dressed in a cream and gold robe stood next to them, amazed and whispering to himself, "There was truth to the legend of the Rose Duelist!" The man then turned towards the shadows, joy in his voice. "Lady Margaret! I--I did it! Now we have the means for defeating the evil forces of Rosenkreuz!"

"But the legend said that there was only one Duelist," the woman addressed as Margaret pointed out, "I only see three little girls! Who's who or did the spell not work?"

~*~*~

Kassie woke up laying on--grass? What happened? Did she pass out? But then she realized it wasn't grass she laid upon, but rather straw, dirt, and flowers. _Roses,_ to be precise.

_'What the hell happened?'_ she wondered through the banging in her head.

Sitting up slowly, Kassie noticed two people standing in front of her, arguing. The pain in her head increased sharply and she groaned.

Breaking the argument immediately at the sound, both man and woman turned to Kassie, the woman being the first to speak to her, "Are you all right, My Lady?"

"Who--where am I? Who are you?" Kassie asked in a daze.

"OH! My apologies," the man stepped in, "In my excitement, I'd forgotten I was in the presence of the Rose Duelist."

Kassie's eyes widen in confusion, "Rose...Duelist?"

"Allow me to introduce myself," the man continued, "I am Simon McMooran, High Druid and servant of Lancaster, and this is Lady Margaret of Lancaster."

__

'Lancaster?' Kassie thought to herself.

"May I be so bold as to ask the name by which the Rose Duelist--" Simon gave a quick glace to both sides of Kassie, "--or Duelists would like to be known?"

Shocked out of her thoughts, Kassie quickly looked to both of her sides, noticing that her friends were by her side and unconscious. "Uh, yeah," Kassie pointed to her right, "This is Shard," she pointed to the left, "this is Kat," and then she looked back at the man and woman, "and my name is Kassie."

Both Simon and Margaret contemplated the meaning of the names, especially Kassie's. "Fine names indeed," Margaret remarked, "Wine, Purity, and God's Prophet!"

The woman continued before Kassie could even say a word, "Now, here's the situation: The year is 1485 and you are currently in Stonehenge, near Salisbury, England. The British empire is in turmoil with the house of Lancaster's rightful claim to the throne being challenged by the Yorkist usurpers."

Kassie shot back from shock, "HOLY SHIT! YOU MEAN THIS REALLY IS THE WAR OF THE ROSES?"

"You know of the power struggle, My Lady Kassie?" Simon asked.

"Of course I know, we studied it in school! But--you gotta be joking! That happened 518 years ago!"

"Maybe so, but you are here now and must face it. Using our Red Rose cards, we summoned you to this day and age."

Kassie bowed her head, wondering what else could happen. A hand touched her shoulder, and she lifted her head to look into kind, blue eyes, "I am sorry for ripping you and your friends out of your time but it had to be done, we cannot lose this war!"

"BUT THE LANCASTERS WIN THE WAR, YOU DON'T NEED US!" the Sun-Cat screamed before Kassie forced her mouth to close and her tongue to still.

Margaret's amethyst eyes widen at the new information but Simon continued to speak softly to Kassie, "Did your schooling mention the Rose cards?"

Kassie shook her head, Shardai now beginning to stir. "Then how do you know that you and your friends are not the ones who bring us to victory?"

"How do you know we are?" Kassie stated coldly.

"We don't," Margaret replied, helping Shardai sit up, "but you are better than nothing and right now, we are losing the war."

____________________________________________________

blooper one: The 'Ware' of the Roses.


	5. ACT V

KlebKat: WARNINGS! MARY SUE! SWEARING! NAME CALLING AND OTHER SUCH KIDDY STUFF!

Shard: because it fits our personality sooo well.

Kat: But basically the same as the last four acts; only now we add in Duelist of the Roses

ACT V

"The war was named "War of the Roses" because the badges used by both sides was a rose--a red rose by the Lancastrians and a white rose for the Yorkists." Kat recalled from English History class, her, Shardai and Kassie sitting in a circle with McMooran and Margaret.

"Yes," McMooran said, "Right now, our kingdom is threatened by the Yorkists and their wrongful claim to the throne all because the Yorkists enjoy the support of the Rose Crusaders and their sorceress White Rose Cards."

_What are we gonna do?_ Kassie thought,_ Kat, Shard and I know about Edward in the Tower of London, and we know the out come of the war, but--_

"Excuse me," Shardai raised her hand slightly, "How did we get here?"

McMooran chuckled, "My apologies, My Lady, I explained it to Lady Kassie but I haven't mentioned it to you." McMooran looked to Margaret, holding out his chubby hand, "If you would please, Lady Margaret."

The blond woman reached into the sleeve of her dress, pulling out something that resembled a Duel Monster card dyed a deep red. On the back of it, instead of a swirling brown, black and gold background, there was a red rose in full bloom. "Duel Monsters?"

Margaret's face lit up, "Ah, I see you girls are familiar with the game."

"Yes, but we don't play very much."

Margaret's smile turned to a frown, "Oh."

"Well, If I may get on with the explanation?" All eyes focused on Simon McMooran as he held up the card. "This is a Red Rose Card, and in using our Red Rose Cards, we summoned you three to this day and age. We had hoped that your dueling experience would defeat the Rose Crusaders and lead us to victory."

"I don't know..." Kassie murmured lowly, her head bowed and her fingers were playing with a piece of straw.

"You will help us...?" Margaret asked, a look of concern finding its way onto her face.

"Of course they will! Foolish of you to even doubt where their loyalties lie! Rumor has it that only the legendary Rose Duelist stands a chance against the power of Rosenkreuz."

"And I, Lady Margaret of Lancaster, appreciate any help you can provide against them."

_No, damn, don't say that! I don't want to feel obligated!_ With her head still bowed, Kassie cringed, not knowing what to do.

Margaret stood, dusting off her dress and taking the Red Rose Card back from McMooran. "I'm going to leave now to ride and to tell Yugi that the Duelist..." she looked to the girls, "...Duelists, are here; but before I forget, I should warn you girls that the rules for dueling probably differ here from those of your age."

"How so?"

"Yugi?" Shardai asked, "You have a Yugi too?"

Margaret smiled, turning to leave, "I am not sure how to answer your question, Lady Kat, Shardy, but I will leave McMooran to explain. Keep strong!"

With Margaret gone, the group readjusted to fill in the gap and McMooran began. "Here in England, dueling is governed by what is known as the "Perfect Rule". In addition to several minor distinctions, there are two major differences. One is the existence of movement or positioning. The other is the Deck Leader concept. These are two aspects of dueling that were lost in the process when the ancient sport of Duel Monsters was adapted to card form. The "Perfect Rule" represents these lost rules that were miraculously revived here in England." He looked to each of the girls, noting how confused they looked. "Perhaps a practice duel will serve better than an explanation." Taking a stick, McMooran began to draw a large rectangle into the dirt, dividing it into seven by seven squares. "Shall we?"

After a long tutorial of the game, Kat sat back, a hand to her chin, "So, it's like chess in a way."

McMooran nodded his head, "Yes, that is a way to think of it."

"That's way too complicateeeeeeeeed!" Shardai whined.

"There will be no whining here!" Kassie stated, crossing her arms.

"Ah, yes..." McMooran said, surprise in his voice from witnessing Shardai's normal behavior, "You each must select a deck to duel with."

"But we already have decks," Kat said.

"You do? Alright, show them to me." Each girl shifted through their respective back packs, pulling out deck boxes of a variety of colors and handing them one at a time to McMooran.

"Ah, just what I suspected," he said, going through Kassie's cards.

"What?"

"Lady Kassie, you see this card here?" He held up "Just Deserts".

"Yes."

"In our game of Duel Monsters, this card is a magic card, not a trap card."

"So that means I'd have to activate it like a magic card instead of a trap card."

He handed the deck back to her, "Yes, and I'm afraid that if you dueled with your original decks, you would forget what the cards are to be in this age."

Taking out a gold lined box from his satchel, McMooran opened it, offering it to the girls. "Here are several decks from which to choose. Give it some serious thought and make you selection." Kassie took the box, placing it in the center of her and her friends. Kat and Shardai dived right in, grabbing the first deck that they could get their hands on. "Take your time when selecting your decks. It is essential that you select a Card Leader whose rhythm matches the stirrings of your soul. It is important that you feel the vibrations of a Deck Leader, but do not hesitate the minute the resonations ring true to your soul. Choose carefully, for the deck you select will guide the destiny of your duels."

_Stirrings my ass,_ Kassie thought, _I'll just take what Shard and Kat don't_.

"I've never seen a card like this before. Hm, _Dark Fire Witch_, attack 1900 and defense 1700. And it's an effect monster!"

"Cool, _Kaiser Dragon_!"

Kassie picked up the box, holding it in her lap, _Ok, what do I get?_ She reached in, pulling out the last deck. She brought it up to her face, adjusting her glasses to see the card correctly. She gave a little gasp and turned to Simon McMooran. "A _Kuriboh_!" Kassie smiled, "I've always wanted a Kuriboh!"

McMooran smiled back, "That's good to hear! Now I see you all have selected your decks. The cards themselves draw their power from the energies of the Ancient Ones. The Deck Leader acts as an intermediate between the Ancient Ones and the deck-wielder."

"Hmmm. So that's the effect of the Celtic Red Rose cards... It looks like there's some truth to the rumor that the Red Rose cards are capable of time transformation..."

McMooran stood up quickly, using his golden staff as a threatening weapon as he took up a defensive position. "Who's there!?"

Someone stepped into the shadow of one of the giant stones, the only thing distinguishable was the man's ice blue eyes.

"Behind you, Sir!" Kassie yelled.

"It's been sometime since the Battle of Barnet, old one."

McMooran swirled around, eyes nearly bulging out of his head, "Rosenkreuz! What brings you here!?"

"Only a Member of the Rose Crusaders my call me by that name. If you may recall, I told you once before that you may only address me as Seto, or does memory fail you, old man? And you three," he looked at Shardai, Kassie and Kat, "I must admit there's a certain aura of power emanating from you...each of you. Which one of you is the dreaded Rose Duelist?"

"We, we don't know!" Kassie yelled to Rosenkreuz.

The man's eyes were the only sign of shock, "You...don't know? Oh well, we'll figure it out. I believe a formal introduction is in order. I am Seto, leader of the Rose Crusaders. There are members of our little group who prefer to call me by the name of C. Rosenkreuz."

"I ask you again, what brings you here, Seto!?" Simon yelled angrily, standing in-between the girls and Rosenkreuz.

"Mind your manners, old man! What else would bring me here? I've come for the Red Rose Cards!" Rosenkreuz stepped into the light of the torches that were mounted on the tall stones.

"Holy crap! He looks like Kaiba!" Kat yelled.

Rosenkreuz lifted his eyes off of McMooran and on to Kat, "You are familiar with me?"

"Seto...Kaiba..." Rosenkreuz shifted his gaze to the girl in the center to the three women who had huddled together.

Shardai held her hands together as if in prayer, resting on her chest, her mouth opened slightly and her checks faintly pink. _Yes, I can use this to my advantage!_

"After all," Rosenkreuz continued, winking one sapphire eye at the girls but addressing McMooran, "it was you who showed me how the summoning capabilities would evolve when the Red Rose cards are combined with he transport powers of the White Rose cards."

"No! You aren't thinking of attempting the forbidden "Rose Summoning" are you? If so, then the Red Rose cards must never fall into your evil hands! Card sorcery taps into the powers of the Ancient Ones! By their very nature, each card is a double-edged sword that can cut both ways! The Rose Cards alone Harness tremendous power. There's no telling what horrors one might unleash to the world by combining both red and White! I will sacrifice my own life if need be to prevent any from uttering the "Spell of Doom"!"

"The Spell of Doom? Fool! The 16 Red and White Rose Cards grant "Power over All"! Druid legend has twisted the true meaning of these cards!" Rosenkreuz took another step forward, "We Rose Crusaders have sworn to create a utopia free from the ravages of war. We intend to accomplish this with the power of the cards! And we shall do so by extending the rule Richard 3 throughout the known world!

"..."

"By the way, it was clever of you to form a circle of red roses within the white rose barrier to summon the Rose Duelist, but you were foolish to come alone. This area is surrounded and if you wish to leave with your life, you will do so only by handing over the Red Rose cards."

"Me? A fool? Then what about you? Are you fool enough to actually believe the Red Rose cards would remain here in my possession? Right after the summoning, I had the cards dispersed among our best duelists to keep them from your tainted hands!"

"Then you leave me with but one option, I shall enlist the aid of you precious Rose Duelist!"

"You take leave of your senses!"

"And you speak too soon, old man! Heed my words, Duelists! If you wish to return to your proper time period, you will require the 16 cards of the Red and White Roses. The red and white positions must be laid out in reverse of the summoning order to send you home."

"You know the spell!?"

"Since you need the 16 Rose Cards just as much as we do, I propose a partnership. Help us gather the cards and I shall guarantee your return after we've achieved our ultimate goal!"

"An absurd proposal! Do you think that these honorable ladies would even lend an ear to you ridiculous proposal!?"

"Can you be so sure, old man? Let me see...Simon's side has 8 of the Red Rose cards, while my side-the Rose Crusaders-has possession of the 8 White Rose cards. As the numbers are even, simple arithmetic indicates that you could side with either of us, but I'm sure you'll take into account who's winning this war. After all, who was desperate enough to summon you in the first place?"

"He's got a point," Kat stated after a moment of silence, looking to her two companions.

"But the Lancaster's..." Kassie began.

"Lancaster's what?" Rosenkreuz mocked, "I think it's quite clear which side is better-positioned to send you home..."

"L, Ladies, heed not the words of this...this power-hungry lunatic!"

"Simon! Must you resort to name-calling? I'm hurt! I'll tell you what, why don't we leave the decision to our dear Duelists'? After all, Simon, the Duelists' future is not for us to decide, now is it?"

"Well, yes, but--"

"Splendid!" said Rosenkreuz as he began to address the girls, pulling a red and white rose seemingly out of nowhere, "In keeping with the tradition of the Old Temple gardens, I offer you a choice, Duelists'. Here are two roses, the white represents me," Rosenkreuz now stood in front of Shardai, the white rose offered to her and the red rose to the side out of the red dragon's view, "and the red for old Simon here..."

"For the sake of justice," McMooran yelled, "choose the red rose!"

"Stand by my side, Duelists', choose the white rose," the other purred, noticing Shardai's breathing speed up. "I'm the only one who can get you home..."

"You don't know anything!" Kassie yelled, putting her hand on her friends' shoulder, "Does he, Shard?"

"..."

"Shard?"

Both cats looked to the dragon trapped in between them, noting her starry eyed gaze at the white rose.

Kat was the first to speak, "Shard, I say go with the Yorkists."

"Snap outta it, Shard! We got to make a logical choice here! Go with the Lancaster's!"

"So, ladies," Rosenkreuz said seductively, "What is your decision?"

Shardai's hands slowly unfolded and like she would pick up a lily flower from the water, she took the white rose, oblivious to the reason it was being offered.


	6. ACT VI

WARNINGS! MARY SUE! SWEARING! NAME CALLING AND OTHER SUCH KIDDY STUFF! Shard: because it fits our personality sooo well.

Kat: But basically the same as the last five acts; only now we add in Bakura musing.

Erin: psst! Kleb owns bad spelling!

Kleb: smacks Erin.

ACT VI

"A wise choice, Duelists'!" Shardai blinked her eyes repeatedly at the suddenly loud sound of Rosenkreuz's voice. What was going on?

"I see you are well versed in judging a situation," Rosenkreuz to a step back, "Welcome to the Rose Crusaders!" and bowed, "I...am honored."

"Not as much as Shardy," Kat sighed.

"Okay, old man, it's time you made yourself scarce."

"Wha...?" Rosenkreuz grabbed McMooran by his robes and tossed him into the darkness of the stones where he had entered the scene from. "Guards! Take him away!"

"Oh my god! Oh my god!" Kassie stepped back, a hand over her mouth. Simon could be heard screaming, "What are you doing! Stop! Nooooooooooo!"

"Oh god!"

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt him, I just need him out of the way until everything is settled. Now, girls, who are you?"

"My name is Kat."

"K, Kassie."

Shardai looked up at the man that resembled Seto Kaiba, awe struck and still not sure what had just happened.

"And you, My Lady?"

_Oh, he's talking to me!_ "Me?" she asked with a squeak.

"Yes, you, what is your name?" Rosenkreuz asked again angrily, a sign that he didn't like how long this was taking.

"...Shardy..."

Rosenkreuz narrowed his brow in thought, "Shardy? That is an odd name."

"It means _wine_."

Rosenkreuz turned and walked a bit away from the three girls, "Ah, well, yes, that's good to know. Let's talk about the Red Rose Cards. Simon mentioned that he spread the cards among certain individuals just after summoning you three."

"Yes," Kat said, "one was Mai...Mai...something or other."

"Then I think it's safe to assume that a large number of those individuals are his confederates currently located in France."

"France?" Kassie asked.

"Quick! Do what the French do! Runaway, runaway!" Kat joked, laughing hysterically.

"Uh, yes," Rosenkreuz said, shaking his head with his back to the girls. "In any case, I would like to ask you to enter France from Dover and retrieve those cards for our cause."

"O, ok, but why not do it yourself, Set--Rosenkreuz?" Kassie questioned.

"If it is easier for you, you may call me Seto." He turned around, his hand folded into the other behind his back, "I would go myself, however, I'm needed here to maintain our barrier against any invading forces."

He continued, pacing slowly in front of the girls, "I've also heard somewhere that the Celts inherited their Red Rose Cards from the original inhabitants of Stonehenge. This would mean that our enemy, Prince Yugi--who comes from a line of Welsh nobility--would likely have inherited one of the Red Rose Cards himself."

"PRINCE YUGI?" the girls yelled together.

"Yes, _Prince_ Yugi. This means that those who oppose the Rose Crusaders are sufficiently equipped to duel against us as equals. Given their desperate situation, they will retaliate with everything they've got. It would be wise not to underestimate them!"

Rosenkreuz, or Seto, stopped his pacing, standing as still and as straight as a true solider. "Bakura will take you to Lord Crawford's camp." A shadow came out from the darkness, creeping like a thief and stood next to Seto, dressed in red armor. "I'm depending on you..." and Seto left.

"Hello, ladies," the man with white hair purred, "I am Sir Bakura. I will be your guide through the lands."

"Bakura?" Kassie stepped forward, not believing who was standing in front of her.

"Holy shit, it is Bakura!" Kat blurted out.

"No...It's, it's not Bakura, he's too dark looking." The words left Kassie's mouth but her mind thought on this information. _Bakura Ryou got really nasty in the store. He was so kind and then...maybe..._

"What the bloody hell are you girls talking about? I am Bakura! That's my given name!"

"You don't understand, so we wont explain it."

Bakura looked at Kassie, anger rising, "Now listen here you bitch, I--"

_SLAP!_

In an instant, Kassie had found her way over to the Demon and had slapped him, and he now stood there holding his face. "Don't you ever call me that!"

Kat and Shardai just stood there gaping. Had Kassie just lost it? No, no; impossible even. Kassie never got angry, she never hit anyone, and she sure as hell didn't put anyone in their place. So what had changed so quickly?

"Damn it, woman, I'll call you what I want, when I want."

"How dare you--"

"ENOUGH!!" Kat screamed, "We're irritated and tired. Can we sleep before we leave?"

Shardai's head twisted left to stare at Kat, "We're leaving? Where are we going?"

Bakura let out a sigh, _What a bimbo._ "Weren't you listening? We will make our way from here to Lord Crawford's military camp. Then we will go to Windsor once we have re-supplied for that particular journey to face the known duelist there."

"Ok," Kassie said, "where do we sleep?"

"For Shardy and Kat, there are two beds made in the tent reserved for the duelist."

"Only two? But there's three of us!" Shardai squeaked,

"Well, we were only expecting one duelist." Bakura shrugged and turned to Kassie, letting an evil smile grace his lips, "So for you, my lovely lady, I have just the spot."

"Hell, no!" Kat chased the very amused Bakura around the large campfire, his laughter and her yelling accompanying the barking of the hunting dogs that Bakura had so fondly told the sun cat was her bed companions as she slept outside like the _bitch_ she was.

Kassie seemed ready to cry, but held back the tears like she held back the rest of her emotions. "..._hic..._"

Shardai hugged Kassie's shoulders, "It's okay to cry, you deserve to."

Kassie turned away from the scene, trying to stop the rebelling tears, "No. I wont give him that satisfaction." Kassie walked off to another lonely campfire some walking distance away.

"I'm gonna kill you!" Shardai screamed at Bakura, joining Kat's race to get to him.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Just try it!

"Why did you do that? That was mean!"

"What am I suppose to think when you come to our time dressed like that?"

Kat stopped in mid run, panting heavily, "What do you mean, "dressed like this"? I'll have you know that Kassie paid good money for her school uniform!"

The Rabbit Demon tilted his head in mockery, "School uniform? I didn't know there were schools for sluts!"

Kat and Shardai's jaws dropped. Had he just, really, called them whores because of their clothes? "You're crossing the line, Bakura," Kat stated loudly, stepping up next to him. "You have no right to call us that!"

"And you have one hell of a loud mouth!" Bakura yawned, sticking his pinky in his ear and turning it back and forth.

"Damn it, you bastard," both Kat and Shardai shoved Bakura into Kassie's direction, "go and apologize!"

Kassie sat on the cold ground, the soft grass providing a interesting mix to her absurdly long brown hair and a napkin to wipe tears and snot away from her hand. _Why is everyone so mean to me? Why wont they just leave me alone? I WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE!_

She brought her knees up, taking one hand in the other under the bend as she brought her forehead down to rest on her knees. "...i want them to stop..." she sobbed.

"Are you hungry?" came the familiar voice.

She quickly wiped the tears from her checks, "No, I'm not."

"Well, here's some food anyway." A plate was hurriedly placed by her side.

"But, but I'm not..." she began, but the pale haired man walked away, her heart throbbing with pain and sadness. "Mister--Mister Bakura, I'm, I'm sorry for slapping you. You...just made me mad."

He stopped in his tracks, turning back to her, looking...well, she wasn't sure. Scary was in her mind, because only his lower half was highlighted by the firelight, as well as dark, mysterious and--

_Bakura_, her mind whispered to itself, remembering the shy boy from her time. Kassie bowed her head, now sitting on her knees, "I can understand why you're mad at me and I'm sorry."

She didn't hear anything after a long moment, and she let her eyes move halfway up into her skull to see Bakura's armored feet. A_t lest he's still standing there, so I don't look like a big dork talking to thin air. What do I do now?_

"Are you just going to sit there, bowing your head, or are you going to eat what I gave you?"

Kassie, always lost for social conversation, said the first thing that popped in her head rather quietly, "I'm not hungry."

"So you're going to sit there and pout over a joke?" the Rabbit Demon sneered, turning away. "It was just a stupid, funny joke!"

"...i didn't find it funny..." Bakura heard the woman mutter quietly; so quietly that a dropped pin would have drowned her out. He turned his head just enough so that she could hear him clearly; a deep, rich voice that sounded a bit...sad? "It was meant to be."


	7. ACT VII

Kat rolled her head around her shoulders, popping the joints. Kat and Shardai had actually been surprised. Bakura had completely lied when he had pulled that cruel prank on Kassie. The tent that had been set up hastily for sure, but the Crusaders hadn't had a shortage on the beds. Now all that was left was for the demon to apologize to the sun cat.

"Hey, Kat?" Shardai asked.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you think that--well, I guess Bakura--did that to Kassie?"

"Cause she slapped him...and because she seemed like an easy target."

"Wasn't Kassie taking medicine for her depression?"

"Yeah, I think so." Kat looked over to where Shardai had plopped down on her claimed bed. "And no, there will be no suicide on my watch!"

"Who's committing suicide?" Kat and Shardai turned to the sound of the voice, where a head of long white locks framed the face of the inquisitive rabbit demon so cutely.

"What do you care and what are you doing eavesdropping onto other peoples discussions?" Kat ask angrily.

Kassie popped some of the food in her mouth, knowing that she shouldn't eat any of it due to the hygiene of the era, but seeing no other choice.

Bakura had walked off, to her relief, but also to her great dissatisfaction. She wanted company, even his, but she was afraid of him. She didn't fear for her life, she was just afraid, like usual.

_Damn it, what's wrong with me?_ she thought, then sighed. The answer was simple really. Her childhood was spent mostly indoors, hiding from the richer, meaner kids of her school, kids whose parents were doctors and lawyers and dentists. And what did she ever have? A gambling, cheapskate father, a mentally disturbed mother, and a loser bum brother who owed more money than Bill Gates could ever dream of owning. "Sniffsniff And on top of that," she began to sob, minding to sit the plate aside, "I'm a coward! I'm so scared of everything!"

Kassie curled up into the same position that Bakura had found her in only hours ago, trying to keep quiet, but sobbing even louder that before. _My God, someone please just shoot me now!_

_Thunk!_

Kassie snapped towards the sound, her body reacting defensively as she stood. "Who, who's there?"

She took a step forward, then stopped. _No you idiot! This is what gets people killed in horror movies. Dumb asses with blond hair and over sized chests go running around topless and get gutted and their heads chopped off!_ Kassie evaluated the thought; she may be an idiot, but she wasn't a blond, and she had boobs but they sure as hell didn't count for an extravagant, bouncy bosom.

"Who...hello?"

"My Lady Duelist, what seems to trouble you?" asked a cool, gentle, and _old_ sounding voice.

"S, Simon?"

The Druid slowly stepped into the light, his eyes searching for any Crusader guards. His cream robes were a bit disheveled, but he other wise appeared safe, sound, and intact. "I was leaving, Lady Kassie, when I heard such a sorrowful sound. Going against my better judgment, I fallowed the sound till I found...you."

Kassie looked away, mindlessly letting her right hand hold onto the bend to her left arm. "I'm fine, don't worry," she lied.

"Lady, you don't seem fine at--"

"I said I'm fine, OK?"

Simon jerked back, not expecting to have his head bitten off. "My Lady..."

"I thought Seto's guards took you away."

The little man blinked his eyes very quickly, trying to piece something together but failing, finally dismissing how the young woman in front of him could be so quiet, then angry, then peaceful again so quickly. "A little Druid magic; it fooled his men just long enough for me to get away."

"Oh."

Not much more was said and Simon stepped closer to Kassie, reaching into his robes. "My lady, would it trouble you if I ask something of great importance?"

She looked at him, "Like what?"

Simon produced a small, rolled up piece of paper from the inside of his robe, a elegant seal in the center of it tied with red ribbon and red wax, a rose stamped into the wax. "I still want to enlist the services of the Rose Duelist."

"But we, we're not with you now!"

The Druid held out his hand and motioned for her to sit. After he kneeled down beside her, he explained. "It is my duty to give this regardless to the Rose Duelist. This letter is written, signed, and stamped by Prince Yugi himself."

Kassie hesitated, thinking of all the trouble she would get into if the York's found out what she was doing now.

"There's no reason to be scared, the York's need the Duelist just as much as the Lancaster's do."

"I, I, I just don't know if it's," she looked down at the ground, ashamed, "the right thing to do."

"For the Duelist, there is know right or wrong choice. There is just the choice. Go with what you really feel. You said Lancaster's when posed with the choice of the roses; do you change so swiftly now?"

"But my friends..." Kassie stopped, ready to cry.

"If you ever want to go home, then you must start thinking for yourself!" He held out the letter to her, "You are under no obligation to be with the Lancaster if you wish not, but please, consider our situation!"

Kassie moved her eyes to look at the letter in Simon's hand, and finally took it with shaky hands. She broke open the seal and read:

_Duelist, I am Henry "Yugi" Tudor, but I find it tiresome, so you may call me 'Yugi'._

I'm sure Simon explained our situation, but it is only right that I request your services myself. I need you to go all throughout England and put an end to the threat of the Rose Crusaders. Their White Rose Cards form a barrier that prevents my armies from setting foot on British soil. Although we Celts have the Red Rose Cards, we are but inheritors who are unable to wield their full power. In the hopes of reversing our fortunes, we gambled on a Druid legend that spoke of a Rose Duelist.

I would like you to note that our resources have been pressed to the limit, requiring us to invade England by August! My troops will land in Milford Haven and march on to face the enemy at Bosworth Field. Having all of the Rose Crusaders out of commission by that time would be ideal, but as that might prove difficult, any reduction of their force would be appreciated.

Now, let us unite in August in Bosworth. Simon will provide you with the details as to where and who the known holders of the White Rose Cards.

****

Prince Yugi of Lancaster

Kassie read the letter again to make sure she got the details of it. "So, he wants us to defeat all the Crusaders?"

"Not all of them, only the main ones, like Rosenkreuz."

"I don't know if I can do that for you."

Simon placed both hands on her shoulders, "Please, just try!"

"What if I fail? What if I get caught? What if--"

"What if God was to come back this second? We don't know, we will never know, so we must simply do."

Kassie bit her bottom lip, thinking deeply. _What should I do, I don't know what I should do!_ She bowed her head in contemplation closing her eyes tightly. _If I don't help, I could screw up history or not get home or bloody both!_

Kassie looked up at the star filled sky, the twinkling lights so much brighter than the stars of the future. They were so pretty, and she found that the only subject she could think of was nothing; she could only feel how the night sky took her breath away with all its beauty.

A shame really, that the world would become so filthy that you would have to go up into the mountains in the dead of winter on the coldest night to witness such purity.

_That's what the answer is._ She looked back at Simon, a smile on her lips. "I'll work for Lancaster,"_ so that maybe I'll make someone's life better in the future, then they can see the stars with me, just like this, _she finished in her head.


	8. ACT VIII

To SukiLovesAnime14: bows franticly for not reading fics like you asked Gomen-nasi!! I'm so sorry for not reading your stories like you requested, I just really don't have the time due to the fact that I have diddly on internet connection and phone line, plus the money to get and keep both. So I can only get on the internet at my dad's and the library. Dad's is slow as hell and the library kicks you off precisely at two hours, and I have to check all my freakin' email, and that's a hell of a lot of email cause I check it every weekend on Sunday...if I'm lucky. So, I'll get to it when I can, and sorry if it seems like I don't care, BUT I DO!!!!

Duelist of the RosesACT VIII

"YOU ARE SUCH A DUMB ASS!"

Kassie ducked to the side of the tent for cover as something white and shinny red came flying out of it, landing with an 'Oompht!' sound. She knelt down close to it, minding to keep the hell away form the line of fire. "Just so you know, Kat and Shard are going to kill you."

Bakura sat up suddenly, rubbing the back of his head and looking to one of the three causes of his problems. "What the fuck is wrong with the three of you?"

Kassie held out her hand to Bakura, "Well, Kat will probably stalk you till you're dead now, Shardy will glomp the tar out of the first hot guy she sees, and I'll probably be hiding in a corner."

He looked up dumbly at her for a moment, wondering if she was serious, then he smacked her hand away and stood on his own. "Why are you so cheerful?"

Her expression became unreadable for a fraction of a second, and then she smiled, "Why wouldn't I be?"

_She's lying,_ Bakura's mind told him, but what could he do about it? He turned away from her, trying not to show the pain he felt from being tossed out so rudely. "Go to bed, we'll be leaving early in the morning and breakfast goes fast around here."

A soft mew flowed gently to his ears, "Thank you."

He stopped, "For what?"

"For telling me that."

He felt the need to turn around and look at her, but pride would only allow a small turn of the head before he began walking off again, "Whatever."

The sun cat stood outside the tent a few more minutes before stretching and going in. She was instally greeted by two prying minds.

"Well, how did it go?" Shardai questioned like a hyper puppy.

"How'd what go?"

"You know," Kat purred with a slow gesture of her hand, "and I think he likes you."

Kassie turned her head, blushing heavily, "No, he doesn't! Why would he like me?"

Shardai rolled back and forth on her bed, "Cause you're purdy!"

"I'll pretend that you didn't say that."

"C'mon, Kass, I thought you liked the white haired beshies!" Kat pushed the sun cat down onto Shardai's bed. Shardai roll behind the older teen, sitting up Indian style and nearly ripping the scrunchie out of Kassie's long hair which flowed over the edge of the bed and swept the ground lightly. Kat picked up the ends of the girl's hair and held them in her lap as she sat down on the ground, preventing Kassie luscious hair from becoming dirty. "I do, but no one likes me, especially like _that_."

"I like you!" Shardai glomped her friend and then combed her fingers through the sun cats thick, brown hair, totally ignoring the wrongness of the statement.

"No, no, Shardy, you need a hairbrush. You can ruin hair quality by doing that."

"I thought I came in here to sleep, not to get my hair done by wannabe stylists."

"Kaaaaat," Shardai whined, "I don't think I have my hairbrush with meeeee!" Shardai poked through an assortment of objects in her purse before she finally gave up and picked through the various objects left in their tent. Smiling, she held up her prize triumptly. "Here we are!"

"Hell, no."

"It's the only way to get the tats out of your hair."

"Shard, that is a horse brush," Kassie reasoned.

"So?" Kat and Shardai said in unison and Shardai began running the comb through Kassie's hair as Kat giggled and held Kassie down on the bed.

"Do I look like a bloody horse?"

"Do I look like a bloody horse?"

Kassie's words could be heard ten large tents way, the giggling and chiding of the other two girls even louder.

Bakura sat side-saddle on a large rock, looking at the girls' tent. "I don't care much for women myself," a deep, cold voice said behind him, "Especially the young ones like those three. Too loud and playful." Bakura couldn't see it, but he knew that his older brother was smiling, "Of course, one could always put that playfulness to _other_ good uses..."

"And supposing that they're not interested, Marik, what then?"

"The red head; she seems like an easy target, I can live if I just have to settle with her."

"Ah, but then you'd have to put up with the loudmouth and the bitch; they're not as dim witted at the bimbo."

"The only one I see that I'll have to worry about is the black haired girl, the other one doesn't want to fight it seems...and she's off limits."

Bakura's eye's went wide and he twisted his body around to look at Marik, the shinning glint of his purple armor from the far away fire light hurting his eyes. "Since when was a woman off limits to you, brother?"

The younger boy bent down to be level with his brother's face, "Since my little brother wanted her."

"WHAT?"

"I've been paying attention, bro', she obviously liked you when she saw you, and you haven't been able to keep away from her since!"

"NO!"

"YES! Taking her dinner, playing jokes on her, and you even apologized to her!"

"I didn't apologize!"

Marik stood up straight, a hand going to his hip and the other to his chest in a gayish fashion, "Really, Brother, you're starting to loose your touch."

Bakura lost his own playful defense, becoming thoroughly serious, "Don't go there Marik, I won't hear anything of it from you."

Marik strolled around the rock, "Her parents are still pissed. You **do **understand that she _was _a former Lancaster, right, _Brother_?" Marik came back to the 'front' of the rock, his hands folded together behind him, and he bent down to Bakura at his hips, "And she was _married...Married_!"

"You think I didn't know that?" Bakura growled harshly, making sure that despite his rising anger, he would not yell at his older brother.

"You act as if you didn't."

"Just go to bed, it's behind me now. So, shut up!" Bakura turned from his brother, sitting Indian style on his rock and crossing his arms across his chest.

Rosenkreuz sat within his tent, not wanting sleep and looking at his own dueling cards. _The Rose Duelist is one of those three girls...Why God? Why not some sensible men and not three women?_

His pondering over took him and he did not hear, but, after a moment, _felt_ the presents of the person who had entered the tent. "I did not know you where here, Ishizu."

"I heard of the Rose Duelist, and I came to see for myself. Where is he?"

Seto chuckled, as if it were a mildly funny joke. "_He_?" then he began to laugh heartily.

Ishizu's anger grew slightly, "How dare you mock me?"

Seto stood, an uncharacteristic soft smile on his face and he walked to stand in front of the tanner woman. He quickly grasped her jaw, forcing her into a searing kiss, then broke it. "No, my love, I do not mock you, but, I believe that God mocks me."

She nuzzled into Seto's armored chest, arms snaking around his waist, "Why? What has gone wrong?"

"Well, the Duelist _him_self. Rather than one, Old Simon summoned three."

Ishizu stepped back, blue eyes widening, "Three?"

"It gets better. Three _girls_."

Kassie laid in her own bed, looking up at the ceiling of the tent, her hair now braided and held at the end with her scrunchie. _I wonder if I did the right thing._ She closed her eyes and sighed, _There I go _doubting _again. I just got to let it go, I can't change my mind now._ She opened her eyes and after a moment, she turned over. She looked to Shardai and then to Kat, both girls sleeping soundly if Shardai not silently. "Good night ya'll, hope you wake up well."


	9. ACT IX

KlebKat: XP

Shardy: Kleb?

Kat: She wasn't sure how she wanted to end this chapter.

KlebKat: I don't like this chapter at all...do you think my writing sucks on this one?

Erin: Oh well. Enjoy!

Kleb and company do not own anything but their little ol' minds...and a home made plushy or two. So, no sue for you.

--

Duelist of the Roses ACT IX

The warm body pulsed under him, and he knew that she was finished. "Ishizu..." He released, his finish to the final hours of the night.

"Ah...I knew we shouldn't have done that, It's dawn already."

"But I shall not be going with them, love."

Her eyes widened, "You're not?"

"No," he replied, "I have business else where this morning and I'm afraid that I can't take you."

"Oh, whatever shall I do?"

Some guy in purple had shook her violently, making sure she stood before he moved on to the next person. _Who the hell's in my room?_ Kassie thought sleepily, and ran her fingers into the corners of her tiered eyes. _I thought I made it clear that I'm not like Shard and can get up with a light poke. _Kassie forgot her place for the moment, and allowed her hands to intertwine with each other and her arms to stretched over her head. She still wore her school uniform, now crumpled with wrinkles.

Now, more awake, Kassie began to remember bits and pieces of what had happened. _Oh, god! That was real?_ She looked to the guy wearing purple, noticing how he smiled down at Shardai, who, of course, was sleeping every-which-a-way.

__

Touch her and I will yell henti, she swore in her mind, but the man simply knelt and shook the Dragon Lady just as harshly, then moved to Kat five minutes later when Shardai wouldn't budge.

Kat sat up, neglecting that she wore nothing but her short boy shorts and her white under school shirt. "You're a very pretty thing," the man spoke, noticing Kat's state of dress all too well.

Kat looked up, her own green eyes flickering with anger, "Who are you?"

The man smiled, going back to Shardai, "My name is Marik, I am Bakura's elder brother."

"Bakura has a brother?" Kassie tilted her head, "He didn't mention you."

Marik shook Shardai, "Why should he?"

Kassie looked away, lowering her voice considerably, acting as if she had done something incredibly wrong, "You're right."

He looked up at her, not understanding, "Right about what?"

Kassie's face pinkened, _Damn it, I've made an ass out of myself again!_

"What's going on in here? Where are the girls? Are they up yet?" a pissed voice shouted and then Bakura walked into the tent.

"They are awake save this one," Marik stood, nodding to Shardai's sleeping form.

"Well then, wake her."

"I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?"

"I've been trying for the past fifteen minutes. It's like calling to a stone hoping that it's going to answer you."

Despite her embarrassment, Kassie joined Kat in a light giggle. "What's so funny?" Bakura demanded.

"The analogy you used for Shardy," Kat replied, "That was great; fits her to a tee."

Just then, Shardai turned over and glomped Marik's left leg, hugging it tightly to herself. "Mmmm, Seto."

Marik shook his leg, trying to free himself, "This one's gone mad!"

It took three buckets of cold water to awake Shardai, and now she was sitting on Kassie's bed, sneezing and crying about being all wet. Shardai's pink jacket and collar bow now hung on a chair outside and Kat's jacket on her shoulders.

"Cheese?" Kassie asked, trying to make Shardai feel better by sitting beside her and patting her on the back. Shardai pouted, sniffled a few times, and popped a piece of cheese into her mouth. "Even we tried to get you up, Shard. After what happened last night, I figured that when Bakura grabbed the bucket, it couldn't be for a good thing."

As if summoned by Kassie's words, Bakura and Marik came into the tent, each caring one side of a rather large trunk. Kat spoke as the boys sat the trunk down with a loud thud, "What's that for?"

"You three," Bakura answered.

"sniffsniff Us?" Shardai asked.

"You can't possibly travel wet," Marik chimed, "so we brought you some clothes."

Shardai dashed to the trunk and fell to her knees, chirping happily like a bird, "Oh goody, what do we get to wear?" Shardai popped open the trunk, reaching in and grabbing two handfuls of fabric. Kat kneeled down beside Shardai, picking up a blueish gray dress. "I guess this will work, how many dresses are in there?"

Shardai took the clothes out and laid them across Kat's bed, "Three...no, wait, this one's got a hole in it."

Kassie bent over, looking into the box, the loose hair from her braid spilling over her shoulders. "There's stuff in here other than dresses." Kassie picked up a white shirt and brown pants. "It'd be better if we wore pants, cause I bet we'll ride horses and I gather side saddle hurts like hell."

Snickers caused Kassie to look up at her current hosts. "What's so funny?"

Marik doubled over and Bakura joined in, both laughing away, "A woman wearing trousers? HA HA!"

"What's wrong with me wearing pants?" Kassie tilted her head sideways, the answer coming to her, "Oh, that's right, women didn't wear pants in this day and age."

"You mean women dress like men in the future?" Marik asked.

"No, of course not, women wear girl clothes and men wear men clothes." Kassie grabbed another pair of pants, putting all three onto her bed. "See, these are our school uniforms, the boys wear pants and we girls wear skirts." Kassie shrugged off her jacket and tossed it onto the bed, then she untied the collar bow. "I liked dresses when I was little but I don't now."

Bakura stepped closer to her, arms length away. "You will wear a dress, it's not an option."

Kassie's eyes narrowed slightly, "But I don't want to wear a dress and the third dress has a hole in it anyway."

The older man closed the space between them like lighting and grasped her jaw tightly with one hand, almost close enough to kiss. "You will wear a dress like I tell you because your current style makes you nothing more than a common whore!" he whispered huskily. He could feel her breath on his lips and began to counter her forth coming statement when--SLAP!

"YOU ASSHOLE! HOW DARE YOU CALL ME THAT?" Bakura's ears rang and his face stung from her slap, but other than a turn of his head, he didn't move.

"Kassie," one of the girls said, but it dribbled off into nothing. Bakura turned his dark chocolate eyes down to the form of the girl before him. She had turned her head to the side and downward, worry, confusion, sadness and desperation written all over her face. _She wants to say she's sorry, but now she's too stubborn._

"What if we do this; I'll patch the dress, but since it's a rather large hole to begin with, why not let Kassie wear what she wants?"

Kassie finally looked back into Bakura's dark eyes. _She looks like she's about to cry._ The Demon Rabbit snarled and his nose wrinkled in distaste. Finally, Bakura stepped away and marched out of the tent fallowed by Marik. "Fine, do whatever the hell you want!"

Shardai was next to Kassie now, patting her on the back, "What a jerk. He has control issues."

"Anyway," Kat said, "lets get changed and then well finish breakfast."

Kassie dived outside, chirping loudly as if nothing was wrong, "Tell me when you're done!"

Kat pulled her back in, "Na-uhn, hon. I know how shy you are, so you first, we'll wait outside.

"Ok, but no peeking!"


End file.
